Name: Maemi Nobuhara
Age: Fifteen.
Height: 5'2''.
Weight: 115lbs.
Appearance Maemi is strong, slight, and agile, compact in form but not lacking in muscle. She's fit not in the way of an athlete but like a woman well-used to working. Her shoulders and back are strong, as are her arms, though they're not cut and refined in musculature; her legs are neither overused nor underused, muscled for endurance and a long, hard day on her feet. Though she's probably not the type to win a track contest, she has enough fitness to make it through but not to stand out or even have a chance at the title.
Maemi wouldn't describe herself as 'lithe.' She's hardly flexible, though she is agile and quick on her feet as well as coordinated enough to catch a pencil thrown at her out of the blue. Her figure suits her well but isn't anything specialâ her waist compliments somewhat narrow hips, and her breasts, though they might be on the smaller side for a taller girl, appear to be ample enough on her light frame. Like most girls, she has a little extra fat and can be quite self-conscious at times about how she looks in a bikiniâ though her friends would tell her that even though she might look somewhat short and childish in her school uniform, she's actually quite alluring when dressed up right. Maemi, however, typically wears loose sweaters over leggings on the weekends for sheer simplicity. She isn't used to showing herself off, and she isn't about to start now.
One of Maemi's most distinctive features is the shape of her eyes. They're highly symmetrical and taper away in all the right places. Though they're ringed by rather short lashes, she makes up for it with a light dusting of makeup, bringing out what little blue lies in the steely mix of color that comprises her irises. Though Maemi's eyes are beautiful, however, they don't really catch one's attention, so it's often a feature that's overlooked when she's just glanced over. Though she's not particularly striking, she has her notable features.
Maemi's hair is mostly straight and medium-thick. In good weather, it lies flat, smooth and shiny and usually clean, but when it's wet or humid it can fall into waves and frizzâ and she'll just tie it back to keep it out of the way. It's cut short in layers to frame her face. Though she doesn't put too much effort into her looks, often just braiding her hair or brushing it and leaving it down for school, she does wear some makeupâ nothing too heavy, though, as she prefers to keep it relatively natural rather than gaudy to blend in with the crowd. She has clear, soft, light skin sprinkled with a few pimples up near her forehead (she keeps trying to sleep with her hair in a ponytail, but she forgets) and one tiny one that keeps coming back near the corner of her nose. Often, she looks tired because she stays up late working when she still has homework to do.
Oddly enough, one article of clothing Maemi's never without is a scarf. Due to a certain incident having to do with falling out of a tree when she was ten, she has a very distinctive scar on her neck that isn't too hard to hide with a buttoned-up uniform collar but is hard to miss in anything less. She's extremely conscious about how it looks, as most girls her age would be, and due to some of the deeper tissue formations it sometimes makes it hard to turn her head to the far left. Having covered it up for years, she's good at surreptitiously incorporating a scarf into her outfit. Most don't notice it's there, and those who do don't tend to stop and stare at such a simple thing. Because it's not an obvious fashion statement, the teachers in her previous school never much got on her case about it, but she isn't sure about this high schoolâ luckily, though, the uniform has a shirt collar high enough to keep her worries at bay for the moment.
On the topic of uniforms: Maemi dresses neatly in the mornings, always careful to follow rules set out for students to the letter. She doesn't wear her skirt any longer or shorter than necessary, and she's always sure to tuck in her shirt and wear the appropriate style of uniform for the season. Some days, she'll take advantage of the girls' option to wear pants, but it isn't often because she doesn't feel like she looks very good in them.
Personality Maemi has always been a shy girl, ever-reluctant to speak up, speak out, or speak against. Demure, polite, with a strong belief in working towards the common good rather than to her own benefit, she embodies many of the traits expected in any properly-raised young woman. She's quiet and doesn't tend to speak of her own accord without good reason. While she'll hold up a polite conversation, however, she's reluctant to let people dig too deep at her emotions; she's the type who enjoys casual conversation about the weather. Because of this, she doesn't make many friends, but she doesn't make enemies, either.
Rarely, in fact, has Maemi had true enemies. She isn't one to provoke others, as she prefers to back down before there's a confrontation. She has a habit of just sweeping her problems under the rug instead of letting them explode in her faceâ though this is a double-edged sword, as while it keeps her from direct, explosive hurt, running from her problems allows them to fester in silence until they become poisonous. Still yet, however, Maemi runs from conflict. She's timid and gentle, the type of girl to have a soft spot for stuffed animals and kittens. She's scared of fighting, and she cries when she argues.
Maemi is extremely humble, as well. Her shyness is a major part of this; she doesn't like drawing attention to herself, so even if she does have a talent, such as that she has for the cello, she's likely to just brush off any opportunities to take any credit for what she can achieve. Her parents regard this as a positive trait, but it's the singular reason she's never competed or joined an orchestra. While she has real talent, she doesn't showcase it when she needs to because of her excessive need for humility in every walk of life. Having the spotlight turned on her for any reason, be it to shame her or to laud her with congratulations, is an absolute nightmare for the girl.
Demurity aside, however, Maemi is strong of belief and a hard worker. It's hard to shift her opinions even though, or perhaps because, she's so quiet about them. Maemi thinks things through and is logical and practical to the point of faultâ she doesn't like taking chances or putting faith into the unknown. Though she may be a delicate flower on the outside, one should be warned that she can be quite bull-headed at times. She doesn't complain when given work to do, and she responds to others' whining with what's almost an air of 'tough love' to her tone. She does what she's told, for the most part, because doing anything otherwise tempts the dangerous unknown. Maemi is wise, a girl who stays safe by not taking chances. She's hostile to things she doesn't understandâ yet at the same time, she's utterly fascinated by them.
Maemi is the type of person to love and hate at the same time. Though she might not speak her mind, she's cynical and distrustful of others, but she seems to love the traits she doesn't have in others just as much as she despises them because she wants to change herself on some subconscious level. She has a tendency to ignore her own feelings, however, just continuing to trek on through her work as though she feels nothing. She hasn't exploded many times so far, but it's only a matter of time.
After losing her childhood friend, Maemi has become extremely reluctant to put herself out in the world and try new things and make new friends. She's very cautious and doesn't want to end up doing anything that might get herself hurt. She closes herself off to others and is cripplingly shy, preferring to simply go home and practice cello instead of hanging out with other girls after school. She keeps to herself because she's too shy to talk to anyone else, and she's grown used to sitting alone over the years, so it doesn't much bother her. She's happy with what she has. Had she more free time, she would be quite the adventurer, as she does have a passion for travel and exploring places, provided she knows where she's going ahead of time. Even if her dreams aren't being realized, though, she always has a smile to spare, and she'll never turn someone needing company down so long as that person initiates conversation. She doesn't mind.
She makes the best of what she has, after all.
History
Born the first and only child of a businessman and a country shopowner, Maemi's early days were filled with sun, laughter, and sticky popsicles, but they were far from interesting. Her family was painfully average: the cosmopolitan father's side melding perfectly with the traditional ways of the country family, a father who worked too much to care, and a loving but uninteresting mother. Maemi lived her early years happy, sweet, and kind, naturally introverted and withdrawn from other childrenâ which was hardly a problem. She helped her mother mixing food in the kitchen and played with dolls by herself in the living room.
Things began to change, however, when Maemi was four. Her father's frequent business trips led to an affair, and her mother's side of the family pressed for a divorce not months later. Before her fifth birthday, the quiet child found herself uprooted and moving to another city. She transferred into a new school in the middle of the year and found herself without even the few friends she'd made in her own life. The child was too young to understand the circumstances at the time, but her life had been suddenly changed in a whirlwind of events. Now, she had no daddyâ not that she ever saw much of him, anywayâ no friends, and hardly knew her new home. She was too young to know she could complain, though, so she soldiered on. The trait has stuck over the years.
The introverted Maemi was hardly one to reach out and make friends. She preferred to keep to herself on the playground, though she did hope the others would come up and talk to her. She was too shy to start up her own conversation and too small to go play with the boys. The five-year-old made the best of her situation, though. Her mother had cried in secret, so she didn't see tears shed when she lost her daddy. Like mother, she didn't cry, either, when they moved. She didn't complain; no, she only played by herself. The natural introvert kept to herself and, thus, grew shyer.
That is, until the boy came along. He was the one who spoke to her first, who introduced himself to her and took to playing with her. Though she'd wanted to play with the others and join in on their games, running around with them and playing make-believe, she didn't have the courage to ask. And the boy changed that for her. He was the one with the courage, the one who took the first step. Without him, Maemi isn't sure what would have happened to her. They took to each other like weeds to a wall. Though Maemi was at first only glad to have a friend, she grew to honestly like the boy, and as their friendship grew, so did her ability to open herself up to others. What she liked about this boy was how she felt when she was at his side: invincible. She felt stronger. No longer was she the silent girl who played by herself but someone who could laugh harder, run faster, and smile brighter than anything else. Maemi became more outgoing at the side of her companion. Over the course of the next three years, Maemi blossomed.
As Maemi lived her own small life, though, her mother was rebuilding her own. The move had sent she and her daughter into a single-bedroom apartment with no real career. She, too, had uprooted herself, battling massive depression and fending off both ex-in-laws and parents alike. She was still young, having given birth to Maemi at twenty-one, and she'd relied mostly on her husband for support. After the move, she couldn't inherit the family business, but she couldn't go back, either, because of the ruckus the fracturing of her relationship had caused. She worked several dead-end jobs until an opportunity to work for a biotechnology lab cropped up.
Only three years had passed since they moved in, but it seemed like an eternity for Maemi. She had changed endlessly, now unimaginably happy with life. She was no longer the shy baby she'd been a the age of five. This time, she cried when she heard they were moving to the outskirts of Sendai. She was leaving again. Being torn away from the person who made her better. Braver. Stronger. She wouldn't leave her room for days, and during those days, she retreated back into the shell of the girl she'd once been. She was scared for the future. She'd felt so safe by the side of that boy, so happy. Why did it have to change? Still, Maemi couldn't understand why they were leaving. Being happy with him hurt too much to keep up because she knew it was going to end, so she became shy again so she wouldn't have to brush emotions with anyone. She kept to herself because she was scared because in the future, her friend wouldn't be by her side. Three years of the blossoming Maemi disappeared in a week, never to be seen again because the scars caught her so quickly. They promised to write to each other, and they did, for a while, but Maemi had lost that confidence that they'd shared. The pain of losing her first and only real friend was too much. Every letter reminded her how pathetic a person she was. After two years of living like a hermit in a shy girl's shell, she gave up. Stop writing. She started to run away from her problems more and moreâ and simply not responding to the letters he sent, just throwing them away and never looking at them again, let her forget how it felt to be torn away.
The scars over her heart, formed when she was still so young, have long since softened and faded. She's forgotten a lot about those days because she doesn't want to remember how she used to seem to be such a worthwhile person. On her own, she became very shy because she didn't have the emotional support of a friend. Living with a single parent, now one who worked all day long, Maemi grew to rely on herself more and more in everyday life. She cooked her own meals, packed her own lunches, cleaned the house and did her mother's laundry when she came home exhausted at night. While it was nothing particularly harrowing, it wasn't beneficial to a girl coming out of the pain of losing her best friend, and because she wasn't confident on her own she never regained that confidence she lost moving away. She returned to her old, shy self, forgot about her childhood friends and concerned herself with her studies, her housekeeping, and now her job waiting tables at a soup shop down the street from her apartment. She worked and worked and told herself she didn't need friends because she was too scared to put herself out there and make new ones.
The third move came as something of a surprise to Maemi, but it didn't uproot her like the first to. In fact, it was somewhat boring. She didn't have any close friends. While there were polite goodbyes between herself and classmates and coworkers, there wasn't anything too painful. Nothing she didn't understand. Maemi moved with a straight face when her mother got a promotion and a reassignment. She's convinced herself that her old childhood friend doesn't even live there anymoreâ and even if she did, would she know what he looked like? How to get to his house from her new apartment? Did they even go to the same school? She wasn't the same person she was anymore, anyway. The shy, cowardly Maemi had overtaken the little girl she used to be.
He wouldn't even know her anymore. She'd turned back into the girl he'd met so many years ago, not the one they'd both grown to love.
Household and Family
The direct Nobuhara family is quite small, but relations between distant family members are close. Maemi the only child of Airi and Sato Nobuhara, and, of the following, only Kanahe Airi lives with Maemi.
- Kanahe Airi: Mother of Nobuhara Maemi. The two are surprisingly close, though they don't spend much time together due to work and school schedules. Maemi respects her mother and understands the hardships she's gone through, keeping the two of them afloat, and she values what little time they do spend together. They share a passion for green and homemade herbal tea, sundresses, and gardening. Secretly, Maemi wishes that her mother would take some more time off so they can take a summer trip to the mountains.
- Nobuhara Sato: Maemi's birth father. The two are somewhat distanced, but they do keep in touch. Sato loves his daughter and is willing to support her, financially, even if his new wife doesn't condone it, but Airi doesn't allow him to and restricts contact with their daughter to the point that Maemi has had to sneak behind her mother's back to call him. Maemi feels obligated to him in some way as though she's deprived him of something, and she does everything in her power to make it up to him. She respects the man immensely and tries her absolute hardest not to disappoint him, especially in the areas of study. He's the one who convinced her to take up music.
- Nobuhara Meiko: Nobuhara Sato's second wife. They have two children, twins, who Maemi has never met. She dislikes the woman for disliking her even though they've never once communicated.
- Kanahe Hiro: Maemi's maternal grandfather. Though his wife has died, he's soldiered on; Maemi's picked this up from him. Though she used to live with him in the family home when her family was still together, they've grown apart as of late. Maemi finds him strict and overly traditional, but she views him as a man who's also very sound of mind. Though she might not like what he says, she respects it because she knows he's right all too oftenâ except when he claims he's seen into the future.
- Kanahe Misaki: Maemi's maternal aunt. She's something of an angry old maid, acting very much like her father. She's a failed singer married to a rich man looking for a woman to toy with before he dies. She seems to have surprisingly good advice about love despite her own unsuccessful romantic career. Maemi doesn't trust her, though, since she's the type of woman who's always looking for a handout.
- Shimori Aoko: The granddaughter of Airi's landlady. Maemi babysits her three nights a week to make some pocket money. The girl, now ten, is a burgeoning violin prodigy, and Maemi enjoys playing duets with the talented young woman.
